2016 NBA Finals MVP Odds

2016 NBA Finals MVP Odds

Before the opening round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs started on April 16th, Irish bookmaker Paddy Power released odds for the NBA Finals MVP. At the time of publication, Paddy Power was the only sportsbook offering odds for the award. They have been updating this prop bet throughout the playoffs, but we wanted to see how these odds had moved across the market.

The table below compares the 2016 NBA Finals MVP odds throughout the playoffs:

Below was written prior to Game 6:

Draymond Green was suspended for Game 5 of the NBA Finals due to an incident at the end of Game 4. However, his absence in the Warriors surprising loss has only magnified Green’s value. Following Game 5, Green’s odds improved from +300 to +150 which makes him the new favorite. Stephen Curry, who has struggled all series, dropped from -260 to +200.

Andre Iguodala, the 2015 NBA Finals MVP, opened at +5500. The last player to win back-to-back Finals MVPs was LeBron James, who did so in 2012 and 2013. Since that time, his odds of repeating ballooned to 175/1 before dropping down to 16/1. Following Game 5, Iguodala was tied for the fifth-best odds at +1000.

Iguodala is not the only member of the Golden State Warriors to open with favorable odds. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson have been listed as three of the top options since the start of the playoffs. Although their odds dropped significantly when they were on the verge of elimination against Oklahoma City, all three are once again listed as top options.

When this post was first published, LeBron James (+500) was identified as another player offering value to bettors. We stated that the Cavs had an easy route to the NBA Finals based on the weak level of competition in the Eastern Conference.  Since the start of the playoffs, LeBron’s odds of being named the Finals MVP improved from +500 to +110 before dropping to +1200 following the Cavs Game 4 loss. Monday night’s victory caused his odds to jump from 12/1 to 4/1.

Who do you think will win this award? Will the NBA Finals MVP be a member of the Golden State Warriors? Please leave your comments in the section below.